NFL

11:34 PM ET Brady HendersonESPN INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Matthew Stafford entered Monday night’s wild-card game against the Arizona Cardinals having never won in the playoffs, losing in all three of his appearances over 12 seasons with the Detroit Lions. If only he had a team around him as talented as the one he now quarterbacks.

6:00 AM ET Eric WoodyardESPN DETROIT — The “Bad Boy” Detroit Pistons had recently won back-to-back NBA championships in 1989 and 1990. Civil Rights advocate Nelson Mandela was not far removed from a historic visit to Detroit after spending nearly three decades in prison. A teenaged Jalen Rose — on the heels of leading Detroit

11:03 PM ET INGLEWOOD, Calif. — Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker was taken off the field on a stretcher after a violent collision late in the third quarter of Monday night’s NFC Wild Card game against the Los Angeles Rams. He was ruled out of the game with a concussion but did have movement and

6:00 AM ET TEMPE, Ariz. — To the left of the door inside Kyler Murray‘s bedroom at his parents’ home in Texas, below an Oklahoma Sooners banner, is a black-and-white picture of Bruce Lee. Whenever Murray has a break from his duties as Arizona Cardinals quarterback and heads back to his home state, he stays

1:49 AM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn’t use the word “retirement” following Pittsburgh’s season-ending 42-21 playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs but called his 18-year career with the franchise “an honor” and said he’s “looking forward” to the next chapter. Roethlisberger and the Steelers didn’t get the happy ending

11:39 PM ET ARLINGTON, Texas — A once promising season for the Dallas Cowboys ended in chaotic fashion Sunday after a 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC wild-card game at AT&T Stadium. To secure the win, the 49ers had to withstand a final-second comeback that saw the Cowboys reach the San

6:40 PM ET ARLINGTON, Texas — The San Francisco 49ers will play the second half of their wild-card showdown against the Dallas Cowboys without their best pass-rusher, as defensive end Nick Bosa was ruled out because of a concussion. Bosa suffered the injury with 1:19 left in the first half as he and defensive tackle

11:46 AM ET TAMPA, Fla. — Philadelphia Eagles starting defensive end Josh Sweat will miss Sunday’s playoff game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after undergoing a medical procedure to address what the team described as a “life-threatening situation.” “On Tuesday night, Josh Sweat was admitted to the hospital. He underwent an emergency procedure due to

11:15 PM ET CINCINNATI — When you find your quarterback, things become possible that weren’t. The Cincinnati Bengals won a playoff game Saturday. It had been 31 years and nine days since the last time that happened. Only four players on the Bengals’ current roster were even alive yet. There was, at that time, no

5:27 PM ET Brady HendersonESPN Los Angeles Rams free safety Taylor Rapp did not clear concussion protocol this week and has been ruled out for Monday night’s wild-card playoff game against the visiting Arizona Cardinals. Rapp suffered a concussion in the Rams’ overtime loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. They also lost strong

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff It’s playoff time in the NFL, and 14 teams all have a chance to win Super Bowl LVI. It begins this weekend with six wild-card games, before the winners join the Packers and Titans in the divisional round next weekend. Anything can happen in the NFL playoffs. Just ask the

7:00 AM ET ESPN staff The NFL wild-card round for the 2021 season is stacked with great matchups, and we got you covered with what you need to know heading into the six-game weekend. Our NFL Nation reporters bring us the biggest keys to every game, a bold prediction for each matchup and, of course,

2:09 PM ET HOUSTON — One day after firing coach David Culley following one season in Houston, Texans general manager Nick Caserio said he thinks the organization is in a better place than it was a year ago. “I would say when you rewind here and go back to a year ago … I’d say

7:07 AM ET Alaina Getzenberg Todd Archer Close ESPN Staff Writer Covered NFL since 1997, Cowboys since 2003 Previously covered Bengals and Dolphins Lives in Dallas area with his wife and two children Stephanie Diggs thought she had seen it all from her son Stefon. “I’ve never seen Stefon that excited,” Stephanie said. “[He was

3:17 PM ET HOUSTON — The Texans have fired head coach David Culley, a source told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Offensive coordinator Tim Kelly also was fired, a source told Schefter. On Sunday, after the Texans completed a 4-13 season, Culley said he expected to return for a second season. However, the Texans’ ownership and front

7:00 AM ET PHILADELPHIA — When the railing near the visiting tunnel at FedEx Field collapsed earlier this month, sending about eight fans crashing to the ground in front of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, the first thought Andrew Collins had was: “I just blew out my franchise quarterback’s ACL.” Collins, a 26-year-old Eagles fan

4:59 PM ET INDIANAPOLIS — Colts owner Jim Irsay released a statement Wednesday in which he apologized to the fans after the team ended its season “in perhaps the worst way possible and missed our chance to compete for history.” Irsay issued the statement just days after the Colts missed the playoffs for the fifth

8:36 PM ET ESPN News Services LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Chicago Bears interviewed former Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson and Cleveland Browns executive Glenn Cook for their vacant coach and general manager jobs Wednesday. The positions opened Monday when the Bears fired former coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace on the heels